Founder and Executive Director of Friendship, a non-governmental organization (NGO) Runa Khan addressed at a plenary session on ‘Lifting the Bottom of the Pyramid: How Corporate Social Innovation can help win the War on Poverty’ on September 20 at the 15^th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR).

The three-day conference was held from 19-21 September 2016 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The conference was aimed to an emphasis on Corporate Social Innovation (CSI) as a deliberate method for addressing societal encounters to elevate societies, change nations including making a better future, says a press release.

‘What is the bottom of the pyramid? When you haven't eaten in two days, empowerment is useless’, said Runa Khan while highlighting the critical need for eradicating poverty before ensuring their empowerment. She also mentioned that everybody has a role to play to win the war over poverty and businesses can collaborate with NGOs and view them as service provider.

This conference is a yearly regional event, co-convened by the Asian Institute of Management — Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Asia Inc Forum together.